It's getting colder in the northern climes in this nation. The OWS protesters need our support more than ever.
It's going to be a very hard winter for many of them.
If our support and their stalwart dedication make it through this winter, I suspect what blossoms in the spring will be like nothing we have seen yet.
This is just the beginning, the early days of a mass people movement. Those brave souls who tough it out this winter will be that much more empowered come the spring.
Lend your...

as the song goes, "everybody wants to rule the world".
in that never ending quest, materials and people get burned up.
all the wars that have ever been fought have been over resources.Oh sure, they can be dressed up as grudge matched between royal families or "saving the world": from this or that, but in the end, it's always about resources.
It's ironic to think that people go to war for resources to support their civilization. They have to have an army to protect that same civilization, t...

I'm just about finished with a book on the reign of terror in France. It took place directly after the revolution. The time period in the book is roughly from 1792 to 1794.
during which time a group known as the Jacobian's headed up by Robespierre, set in motion whole sale killing of anyone associated and or supporter of the king.
After a while, it was no longer limited to those sympathetic to royalty. It morphed into anyone against the "patriots" aka robespierre and his murderers.
It got ...

I don't know if these still exist, but does anyone remember the old "Iowa" tests?
While in elementary school, these tests were given every year to determine the educational growth of students.
I have always thought these types of tests would be a better indication of a students capability.
Not only that, cumulatively, they would show the students natural bent toward certain subjects and areas of study.
And if a student shows, in their last few years in high school, a sudden bent toward m...

We have entered into the corporate feedback loop.
Over the last 30 years, the middle class and the poor of this nation have had their rights as workers and as citizens so eroded that, it's just about impossible for anyone of the new generation to understand what life was like before the republican grand plan took over.
What is that grand plan? The elimination of unions, the slow and deliberate destruction of a livable wage, the degrading of basic workers rights and reinforcing the idea of cr...

I was living in L.A. when the verdict came down. I was working on a commercial shoot in Antelope Valley. We had to cut shooting short due to a curfew that that was imposed due to the rioting.
I remember, before we wrapped everything, looking toward L.A. and seeing a plume of smoke. "That's not good", I thought.
We packed up and drove back. Myself and the rest of the crew had arrived back in town after Curfew.
After dropping off my production truck, I drove back to my apt in North Hollywood...

when george w. moron* spoke, I would turn off his whiny drone. I couldn't stomach his* overt stupidity.
now, when Obama speaks, I just get sick to my stomach over being had.
I haven't listened to him speak since the SoTU.
I just read his many many many speeches. It gets so down right depressing. The same crap over and over. the same wonderment as to why the repukes don't negotiate or compromise, etc.
I'm really tired of it all.
now that election season is upon us, all of them want to cr...

funny how all the candidates suddenly remember it's all about jobs when they run for reelection.
once upon a time, various candidates would take trips through the poorest parts of the nation, proclaiming this and that in regards to how the candidate was going to help those same people when he or she is elected, then nothing happens. Just the same shit different day and the poverty remains.
The entire nation now has become that poverty vote. They coat us in bullshit rhetoric regarding jobs, as ...

but given the set of circumstances that have erupted in England, it appears as if a leaderless response has occurred.
Could that happen here? sure. Will it happen here? Maybe.
I read an awful lot of history, probably too much. I look at Russia around the time of Ivan the Terrible. Ivan got the nation tied up in one fight after another, all the while claiming that it was gods work. He destroyed an emerging middle class (of the time) leaving nothing but poverty, destitution and fear in his wak...

The door is then open. The concept of the "3rd rail of politics" will be revealed as a myth.
They will go after Medicare and Medicaid.
Chip, chip, chip; the pieces fall away.
Those paying attention won't be fooled by the slight of hand, but we will be shouted down as negative nellies for refusing to do the "hard" things during tough times!
Then comes the great dismantling when the next repuke comes in. And don't fool yourself, there will be a next repuke president.
The doors will alread...

It's the now tired reported statement of "why is it that the President is always puzzled as to why the repukes suddenly say no to things they first supported"
The question that should be asked, why is a Democratic president proposing republican ideas in the first place?
Is the Democratic party bereft of new ideas?
It just seems to me, time and time again, we hear that statement, "the president is puzzled over a no vote by the republicans over their own idea".
Honestly, WTF?

I look toward the sea. I ponder an angry current swelling on the horizon.
My feet sink into the sand of time.
I feel the tide rushing away from me like a breath sucked from my lungs.
Exposed before me are the millions without, the millions with nothing.
As the ocean yawns before me, I stand in awe.
The tower of water crests above me. Darkness envelopes all.

when I was young and stupid: as long as they were breathing I was just fine with that.
when I was merely young and moderately stupid: they had to be breathing and pay attention to what was being said.
when I was technically still young and was experiencing the dawning of a glimpse of a clue: They had to be breathing, could at least have one thing in common and had a reason to live.
when I was no longer young but still believed I was and thought I had a clue, but actually didn't: They had to...

After reading Paul Krugman's latest piece regarding the debt ceiling, the over arching plan of the repukes becomes painfully obvious.
here's the piece...
(Link)
here's what jumped out at me:
"Failure to raise the debt limit would also force the U.S. government to make drastic, immediate spending cuts, on a scale that would dwarf the austerity currently being imposed on Greece."
What evil does this hold? This is the repukes end game for SS and Medicare.
The repukes, if they are truly that ...

The explosion then refining of the "reality TV" phenom is truly amazing.
But how was it born?
My theory: as we become more disconnected from those immediately around us via electronic means, we resort to tv for our fix of "human contact/gossip".
In the dark ages before "Survivor" hit the tube, people, neighbors, co-workers would "dish and gab" about this and that.
Talking at the "cooler" at work, the ride home on the bus or subway, over the fence to a neighbor, etc.
But honestly, unless...

She posed the question of: If Weiner resigns, what does that solve or improve?
My answer and I think the same one she was alluding to: Nothing. The outrage is nothing more then venting of shiny objects crowd spleen.
As if Weiner's quitting will "suddenly" make everyone in congress moral paragons.
Vitter didn't quit. Why should Weiner?
I'm always amused and fascinated by the short attention span in this country.
We need someone to hang on a pike now and then for no apparent reason other t...

What we are now experiencing is the "fast fooding" of retail.
I know, my GF works in retail.
They hire less people and those whom they keep have more tasks piled on top of them. Saves money and puts more in the CEO's pocket.
But then there is the reverse. Corps fire the most experienced higher paid long term employees thinking they will save money but in the process destroying customer service.
What is left is under trained, under experienced workers who are basically filling a space and ...

It's as if society has blinders on and the only images they see or remember are the ones that pass right in front of their eyes.
The litany of crimes, near crimes and non-crimes is quite long. Yet, because the general publics attentions span, which as been reduced to somewhere around 3 1/2 minutes, is such that any and all "controversies" all become front page breaking news.
Why? Not because they are stories worthy of our attention but because the network mass media has to fill 24 hours of t...

Some protests are more equal than others.
Saudi Arabia is shitting a brick because this is happening in their own backyard. They have to make a strong showing of support for the monarchy in Bahrain. If they don't, they know full well that their own citizens, will see what can be done with protesting out dated monarchies and start their own. (which actually have been going on but grossly under reported by everyone in the world except for Al Jazera and The Asian Times)
This little de facto citiz...

has been "things will get better".
It's the political knee jerk meme.
It has to become viral for the politicians to survive. Without that, what do they have? Reality? Pfft! When did reality ever play a roll in the national discourse?
There is no recovery. In the traditional sense and there never will be.
Instead, what we will be subject too is a retooling of how we are to think. Think of it as a grand reeducation.
We will be lead to believe that things are better while the problems are...

Frankly, I love many things about DU, but the one thing I really love is when a topic of outrage goes viral.
All sorts of posts either defensing or attacking said topic are posted in rapid fire succession.
Usually, but not always, the topic is something that is extremely transitory.
Whether the particular topic offends or not, out come the long knives or the bouquet of flowers; all at once.
The viral off shoot of these posts is the threads about staying focused and not dealing in various...

but until that day arrives, it will be interesting hard times.
While I do believe we are on the wind down, due to a great many issues, mostly to do with colossal ignorance, it will take a long time for it to come to a complete stop.
I don't believe it will be a Soviet Union type collapse, as Dimitri Orlov describes. While the Soviet collapse had a massive effect on the Warsaw pact countries and their various satellites, it had very little effect upon the western nations and their NATO allies...

Neither royals, gods, or politicians.
I pray not to the wealthy, the corporations or the corporate glad handers.
I pray not to the lobbyists, the financial backers or the well connected.
I side with the people, be they stupid, smart, insightful, ignorant or disinterested.
I side with the poor, the disenfranchised, the forgotten.
I side with the worker, the parent, the student.
I honor them, however, I pray to no one.

So here we are gas topping $4 bucks, by and large, throughout the nation. (It's still under 4 here in Austin for the most part) And in some very few select areas in the nation it just hit 5.
Just like any price rise, it effects the poorest of this nation first and the hardest.
Due to how we have set up suburbia and how most of the choice real estate (closest to the various business/industrial areas) are financially completely out of reach for most people living on a very fixed income, those ...

we now live in a "crisis" oriented society.
Unless there is a "crisis" nothing "gets done". And what I mean by "gets done" I mean that there would be no drama. And when I mean "drama", I mean there would be no justifiable reason to elect many of the halfwits into office.
If we had a government that actually did it's job timely with conviction, it would be boring and no one would pay attention. And when I say "pay attention" I mean justify many of these halfwits false sense of importance and...

In 1934, the repukes, headed up by banker prescott bush, tried to over throw the US government.
If it weren't for good Americans like Ret. Gen. Smedly Butler, they might have succeeded.
And that is what is happening today.
This isn't repukes over dems, this isn't left vs. right. This is what it should be called, The Rich against everyone else.
And with that, the extreme right wing and the repukes have become willing participants believing that they will get a piece of the pie.
They coul...

:rant:
but it appears as if we are experiencing a coordinated attack upon the American Worker and the People of this nation.
The gop has obviously planned this out and are pushing in at least 18 states.
What are the fucking dems doing?
As usual, caught with their pants down. Looking like deers in the headlights. But trying to "play it cool" while we the people twist in the wind.
Granted there are a handful of Dems coming out and making statements but for the better part of them, cricket...

Michigan is now pushing bill to allow the governor to declare local municipalities economic emergencies which will then allow the governor to install his own little "fixers" to take over the running of that same local municipality.
Idaho just passed a bill that does away with collective bargaining.
Ohio just passed a bill that does away with collective bargaining.
While the good people of Wisconsin fight for their union rights, other states are destroying them lock stock and barrel.
As ar...

Mmmm, tastes soooo gooooood. I think I will do some calculus....
munch munch munch...
What are all these weird symbols...Meh, I'll try some algebra instead...
munch munch munch...
X= what the fuck?
screw this...on to long division...
munch munch munch...
2 goes into 43 how many times?
boy, these burgers taste goodly...
Maybe a little addition...
2 + 2 equals...hmmm...equals....
Dang if I know. Screw it, what's on tv.
Ahhhh Sarah Palin. That womens is a thoughter of smart thingies!

Well, I finally made it.
30K. Dang, that's a lot of blabbing.
DU has provided me a vent, a land in which I can rant, a forum for my anger and dismay and a source of information the likes of which I have yet to find an equal.
To the Admins, I bow before your vision, insight and knowledge.
To the mods, the unsung heroes of sanity, I say thank you. You have a difficult and under appreciated job.
To my fellow DUers. What can I say? You are a rowdy bunch of passionate Americans. Americans wh...

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